Category: News

USC Trustee Ronnie C. Chan MBA ’76 and his wife, Barbara, have dedicated $20 million to USC’s pioneering occupational science and occupational therapy program.

Given in honor of Chan’s mother, the gift endows and names the division, which will be known as the USC Mrs. T.H. Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy. This is the first naming gift and the largest ever made to any occupational therapy program in the history of the field, according to the American Occupational Therapy Association.

The gift also greatly extends the division’s international reach, as it creates the USC Mrs. T.H. Chan Occupational Therapy China Initiative, which will establish a partnership with a top Chinese university to develop a graduate program in occupational therapy in China. In addition, the gift endows the Mrs. T.H. Chan Professorship in Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy. Florence Clark, associate dean of the division, will be installed as the first holder of the professorship….Continue Reading Chan family makes milestone gift

USC President C. L. Max Nikias and Mrs. Niki C. Nikias hosted the most generous employee donors to the USC Good Neighbors Campaign – the President’s Leadership Circle – at a dinner at the USC President’s House in San Marino on Sept. 14.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the USC Good Neighbors Campaign, a unique employee giving program that supports community-based partnership activities throughout the neighborhoods surrounding the University Park and Health Sciences campuses.

The Leadership Circle is composed of top employee contributors, all of whom have donated 1 percent or more of their annual salary to the campaign. For the 2013-2014 Good Neighbors Campaign year, more than 500 employees in this giving circle contributed a total of $700,000 toward the final tally of $1.7 million….Continue Reading Good Neighbors Campaign — a tradition of giving

Hundreds of supporters, civic leaders, and USC leadership arrived for the historic groundbreaking of the USC Village—a new student housing, retail, and dining center adjacent to the USC campus. In attendance were Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson, Councilmember Curren Price, former Los Angeles City Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Councilmember Mitch Englander, Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer, Assemblymember Sebastian Ridley-Thomas and Compton Mayor Aja Brown.

The biggest development in the history of USC at $650 million, the project also will be one of the largest in the history of South Los Angeles, providing thousands of jobs and pumping billions of dollars into the local economy.

Phase one of this development project involves 1.25 million square feet of land that includes greenspace space, retail space, communal space and residential housing, all within a masterpiece of collegiate Gothic architecture redefined for the 21st century….Continue Reading USC Village – For Students and Neighbors

The newest addition to the USC University Park Campus, Dr. Verna and Peter Dauterive Hall, officially opened on September 3, 2014 with hundreds of well-wishers and dignitaries in attendance. The six-level, 110,000-square-foot building is the first interdisciplinary social science building, and represents the future of research collaboration, as well as a key milestone in the $6 billion Campaign for USC. The new building, made possible by a $30 million gift from educator, alumna, and USC Trustee Verna B. Dauterive MEd ’49, EdD ’66, will function as a catalyst for creativity and a gateway to discovery—bringing together researchers from many disciplines in a shared environment….Continue Reading Dr. Verna and Peter Dauterive Hall opens with USC Fanfare

The legacy of USC founder Judge Robert Maclay Widney was celebrated at the unveiling of an 8-foot bronze sculpture newly installed at the entrance of the Judge Widney Alumni House, during ceremonies held on the USC campus on August 29th, 2014.

The 1,000 lb. art piece was created by renowned California-born artist Christopher Slatoff, and the ceremony was attended by USC Trustees, senior leadership, and members of the USC community as the Trojan Marching Band led the crowd in a spirited display of cheering and music. Special honored guests at the event were the living descendants of Judge Widney, who presented USC President C. L. Max Nikias with two family artifacts: a top hat and cape owned and worn by Joseph Widney, Judge Widney’s brother and the second president of USC. The pieces have been donated to the University and will be preserved in USC’s permanent archive….Continue Reading Legacy of Judge Widney Immortalized on Campus

As the new freshman class arrived on campus with families and belongings in tow, USC President C. L. Max Nikias, Mrs. Niki C. Nikias, and USC Board of Trustees chair John Mork (left center, second row) greeted the incoming Trojans in front of Birnkrant Residence Hall.

“USC is a place today where 53,000 applicants competed for 2,700 spots in the freshman class,” President Nikias told the sea of enthusiastic faces during convocation ceremony, part of the week-long program of activities known as Welcome Week. “We searched far and wide to find you. … So if you feel very special to be here today, I’ve got news for you — it’s because you are!”…Continue Reading Welcome, Class of 2018!

President C. L. Max Nikias was elected as the chairman of APRU (Association of Pacific Rim Universities) for a two-year term. APRU is a network of 45 premier research universities from 16 Pacific Rim economies. President Nikias served as the vice chairman of APRU prior to his current election as chairman, and had the opportunity to visit with APRU secretary general Christopher Tremewan during a USC delegation visit to Singapore in February of 2014….Continue Reading President Nikias voted Chairman of Association of Pacific Rim Universities

USC strengthened its ties with the government of Mexico during a recent visit by a delegation led by Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs Jose Antonio Meade. Along with Sergio Alcocer, under-secretary for North American affairs, and Carlos Sada, consul general of Mexico in Los Angeles, Meade met with USC President C. L. Max Nikias and…Continue Reading USC and Mexico align to boost opportunities in education and innovation

Speaker Rainn Wilson delivers the baccalaureate address to the Class of 2014, with USC President C. L. Max Nikias, USC Board of Trustees chair John Mork ’70 MS ’12, and commencement speaker Marc Benioff ’86 and other honored guests in attendance.[/caption] On the eve of commencement day, USC welcomed actor and writer Rainn Wilson as…Continue Reading Baccalaureate Ceremony Address 2014